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First Stop Venice

My husband and I will be coming to Venice (4 nights), Rome (5 nights) and Milan (one night) at the end of January. I’ve been holding myself back from posting too early, but now that we’re inside the 2 month mark, I can’t hold back any longer. This first post is to seek your valued expertise on Venice.

About us: We are in our late 40s, and want to set a leisurely pace for this trip. Though we were in Italy a couple of years ago, neither of us has been to Venice or Rome since our 20s (backpacks and all). While money is not much of a concern, we’re not looking for any Michelin starred restaurants with long tasting menus. We’re looking for fresh, local food that is well prepared, with a pleasant atmosphere. We’re coming from South Florida so we already eat a lot of seafood, but we’re excited about trying different varieties and we’re looking forward to a wintry change of scenery. We are staying at the Londra Palace.

I’ve done a lot of research on the board and have come up with the following itinerary for your comments and suggestions.

Thurs –arriving in the evening by train from Milan after our international flight and probably tired. We thought we’d try La Zucca since we want something convenient and not too expensive for our jet lagged night. I know it’s not strictly Venetian food, but friends of ours ate there and really enjoyed it, but I’m not wedded to it.

Friday –St. Mark’s and Doge PalaceLunch: Fiaschetteria Toscana? Da Alberto? Cicchetti? Dinner: La Bitta because my H loves calve’s liver and we thought this would be a good example, but I recently read a review that was not favorable from a traveler on this site.

Now you can have your brunch cocktail and eat it, too, with Justin Warner's Mojito Pancakes. Read more.

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Smoky-Sweet BBQ Beef Short Ribs

Beef ribs can stand up to strong flavors. Here, a spicy-sweet rub with chili powder, cumin, cayenne, garlic, and brown sugar coats the meat, which is roasted to tenderness. Finishing on the grill with a smoky chipotle barbecue sauce ensures the meat gets a nice char and the sauce lacquers. Read more.

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Daddy's Dish

We get a better look inside a Williamsburg restaurant. Chef Connolly gets a little hand in the kitchen at Rider.